Among toy top sets composed of a toy top and a launcher (toy top launching device), the one described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 563-91466A (microfilm of Japanese Utility Model Application No. S61-187193) has been known in the art. The toy top of the toy top set includes a pinion gear that is disposed on an input shaft having the same center axis with a rotation shaft and a locking portion that is disposed directly above the pinion gear on the input shaft and that protrudes outward in the radial direction of the input shaft to an extent approximately equal to the tooth tips of the pinion gear.
Further, the launcher includes a rack belt and a holder. The rack belt includes an elastic belt portion and rack teeth formed on one face of the belt portion. The holder is configured to hold the toy top such that the pinion gear intermeshes with the rack teeth directly below the locking portion of the toy top, and the belt portion thereby supports the locking portion from below. In the condition in which the toy top is held by the holder, when the rack belt is pulled in a predetermined direction, the pinion gear that intermeshes with the rack teeth is rotated to apply a rotational force to the toy top while the intermeshing of the pinion gear and the rack teeth is released so that the toy top is released from the holder.
The holder of the toy top set of JP S63-91466A has a U-shaped portion in the tip. Specifically, the tip of the holder includes upper and lower parallel plates that protrude horizontally in the operating position and a coupling portion that couples the upper and lower parallel plates with each other at their proximal ends. The inner surface of the coupling portion serves as a flat band guide face. The band guide face extends in the predetermined direction of the rack belt and is located in the part of the U-shaped portion that is opposed to the pinion gear. The band guide face is configured to abut the back face of the belt portion of the rack belt so as to guide the rack teeth to the intermeshing position with the pinion gear teeth and to maintain the intermeshed condition of the rack teeth and the pinion gear teeth.
However, the toy top set of JP 563-91466A is configured such that the pinion gear completely intermeshes with the rack teeth when the back face of the belt portion is in contact with the part of the band guide face opposed to the pinion gear. Therefore, the toy top cannot be set to the holder after the rack belt is attached to the holder.
Specifically, if an attempt is made to set the toy top to the holder after the rack belt is attached to the holder, the pinion gear cannot intermesh with the rack teeth since the locking portion abuts the belt portion in the course of the setting.
Therefore, in the toy top of JP S63-91466, it is necessary to insert the rack belt into the U-shaped portion with one hand while holding the toy top with the other hand in a position in which the rotation shaft of the toy top is inserted in a pinion gear insertion hole that is formed in the lower parallel plate, so as to intermesh the pinion gear with the rack teeth below the locking portion of the toy top. As a result, it has been troublesome to set the toy top to the holder.